A Series of Discoveries
by Talley Kayser
Sandra Dal Poggetto, Understory, 1993, ink on paper, 5.5 x 7 inches. Private collection.
A Series of Discoveries
Italicized phrases from Lafayette Houghton Bunnell, Discovery of the Yosemite, first published in 1911.
. . . What does it mean
that your life is made of someone else’s shed
water and blood?
—Natalie Diaz, Post Colonial Love Poem
(In 2007)
I discovered Yosemite
mountains
my body
mountains discovered my body to me
discovery, un-cover-y: I learned
there is muscle in me, and movement
what was latent&slack&unwilling
learned granite and light—
for hundreds of miles, on foot
all summer, and even among
the trash and the traffic of The Valley
and even after the workdays numb
at a register, dumb cash
thumbed through my hands
I walked back to camp
the late moon on the cliffs
the late moon on the water
streaming from the cliffs
in such great quiet
and I thought I had found
my country.
•
(In 1851)
Yosemite Valley was
discovered
first entered
by the Mariposa Battalion
a volunteer
military
force
(—armed miners, armed farmers—)
a punitive expedition
against the local Indians
(In 1851)
a punitive expedition
proposed
the name Yo-sem-i-ty
suggestive
euphonious
certainly American
the name of the tribe of Indians
leaving their homes in this valley
endeavoring to escape
our charitable intentions
•
To paradox truth
hold a pen.
Etymology: pen, from “penna”
Latin for “feather,” for “wing”
upon this wing
my people fly
from history
into history
wielding clean, clear lines&numbers, such as:
Yosemite Valley was discovered and first entered by 58 members of the Mariposa Battalion
passive&so-exact, as if
there once was a valley waiting spreadwide
and she always did like the look of a man
in uniform
(—note: I am a woman—)
(—I write with a pencil—)
Etymology: pencil, from Latin “peniculus”
diminutive of “penis”
(—of course—)
lead and barrel
built to fit the hand
and the power of erasure
(—I, too, must wield this violence—)
(—this blurring, this blurred—)
•
(In 1851)
we had not the time
to hunt them
it was therefore decided
to destroy
their huts and stores
starving them out
•
Though generations had entered The Valley
though generations had lived in it
though it had the name Ahwahnee
and its people were Ahwahnechee
my people discovered “Yosemite”
my people named it “Yosemite”
the name was decided by vote (America!)
of drunken white men ‘round a campfire ( . . . America.)
(—but the name Ahwahnee endured
as the name of a luxury hotel—)
(—famed for “Mayan Revival” decor
and its splendid dining room—)
(—where I labored as an employee
in the summer of 2007—)
(—where I learned to hold my hand
over my heart when resolving conflicts—)
(—such as qualms with cold eggs
or a lack of available tables—)
(—my manager said “a hand over the heart
is a cross-cultural signal of apology”—)
•
(In 1851)
The leader of the Mariposa Battalion, one Major Savage
translated “Yosemite” as “full-grown grizzly bear.”
This remained the accepted translation
for over a century.
(—it was wrong—)
Etymology: “Yosemite”
from “yos” (to kill)
with the modifier “-e” (“one who”)
and the suffix “-meti” (plural)
Yosemite means “those who kill.”
(—“Those-Who-Kill National Park”—)
•
(In 1864)
Abraham Lincoln signs the papers
that first conserve Yosemite
where Ahwahnechee residents
perform as live tourist displays.
(In 1969)
(—that’s 105 years—)
“as part of a firefighters’ training exercise”
residents removed
homes burned
(In 1982)
Descendants first file a petition
seeking formal acknowledgement
as a federally recognized tribe.
(In November 2018)
(—that’s 36 years—)
The evidence submitted
insufficient. C.F.R. § 83.7(b) requires that the petitioning group
comprises a distinct community
and has existed as a community
from historical times until the present
the failure to meet criteria
requires determination
the petitioning group is not an Indian tribe
within the meaning of Federal law.
a punitive expedition
(—by our laws, you did not
endure /intact/ enough
to exist—)
•
And here I have found
my country. Here is what
my people teach:
to own a place
walk in and name it
hold your hand
over your heart
(—but hold your pen
tighter—)
my love for these mountains
walks, alive in history
and hungry. I can wield
this lead and this barrel
fit to my hand—
but where does it
where do I
point?
The Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation continues to campaign for federal recognition. Public comment on the 2018 Proposed Finding, which determined the SSMN does not qualify for sovereignty under U.S. federal law, is open until May 16, 2022. Learn more at:
Talley V. Kayser teaches college courses that combine literary study with outdoor expeditions. She is among the very few women who have completed the Sierra High Route solo. It matters to her that John Muir actually wrote “the mountains are calling & I must go & I will work on while I can, studying incessantly.” Talley’s work has been published in Hawk & Handsaw, The Hopper, Creek Journals, and Fourth River. Read more at: www.talleyvkayser.com.